A Fight Gone Wrong
by Clover256
Summary: One of Danny and Vlad's usual fights gets a bit out of hand when one of Skulker's missiles collapses the building. Danny's had better days...


A thick, wet cough rumbled up the back of the trapped teen's throat, making his chest feel tight and heavy. He could taste copper on the back of his tongue, and his eyes watered fiercely from both the coughing and the dust in the air.

Not for the first time, Danny made the mental note to figure out _where_ Vlad kept his tech, and destroy **everything** that had to do with the Plasmius Maximus - because after 4 years of being a halfa, suddenly _not_ having his powers was a fresh kind of **Hell**.

He tried to shift his position, trying to ease the stinging pain in his shoulders, but that just sent an _agonizing_ wave of flames down his previously numb legs. He choked on his own scream, gurgling from the blood rapidly pooling in his mouth. Okay, _shit,_ don't move Fenton….

" _Daniel_ …?! Daniel, can you hear me?!" Vlad's stricken voice, muffled by distance and wreckage, still felt too loud to the younger man, making him wince as his head spun. He weakly let it drop to the side, staring half-blind at a caved-in sheet of metal. Must have been from the ceiling….

"Y-yeah… I c-can…." **God** , was that his voice? It was croaked, and wet and barely strong enough to carry passed the brick and metal surrounding him. Could Vlad even _hear_ him…?

Apparently so, if the sudden sounds of shifting debris was anything to go by. In his current state, he couldn't fathom why **Vlad** of all people would be trying to reach him - why didn't the older man simply flee the scene, to avoid being caught when the police inevitably arrived? Then again, it's not like he could _fly_ away right now, not to mention he was so loaded the cops might not even scare him.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Whatever his reason, Vlad was beside the younger man in just a few moments, kneeling near his head.

"Good _Lord,_ Daniel…."

"D-does it… really l-look that… bad?" Danny forced out, too tired to raise his head to check for himself. He let his gaze drift up to Vlad's face however, taking in the man's pale, slack expression. Dark blue cut to his own light pair, and Danny _swore_ he saw actual **fear** in those usually guarded eyes.

"It… might be best _not_ to talk about that." Vlad replied vaguely, his voice holding the barest hint of a tremor. Gently, he set one hand on Danny's shoulder. The teen could feel him shaking. "This… is going to seem like a stupid question, but… are you in pain?"

Danny tried to snort in amusement at that, but the fluid backed-up in his lungs turned it into a choking, gagging nightmare. Vlad's fingers tightened on his shoulder, and a distant part of his brain registered that even without Plasmius, that would bruise later.

If there even _was_ a **later.**

"N-not really," He answered at length, finally getting himself under control. "I can't… r-really feel my…my legs. Like, _at all_." He tried to crack his usual grin, but it fell flat as he watched Vlad's eyes widen, his face somehow losing even more color. "But uh… I guess that's p-pretty **bad** , huh?"

"I… I would say so, Little Badger." Vlad replied with fake calm, his other hand coming down to absently ruffle through Danny's shaggy hair. It came away red, wet and sticky.

For a brief time, Danny felt his mind wander aimlessly, drifting between conscious and not. He thought he'd heard Vlad talking again, but he couldn't focus on the words as he felt something wet drip onto his face. He blinked twice, looking up at Vlad again who seemed to be glaring over his shoulder.

"Hey," Vlad's attention snapped back to him instantaneously. "You're _hurt_ , F-fruitloop."

"What?" The billionaire blinked, raising a hand and running his fingertips across his forehead, hissing when they caught on an open wound. The gash stretched from bout the middle of his eyebrow to his temple, and already seemed to be bruising. "Oh."

" 'Oh' is… not the right reaction, I d-don't think."

"I'm fine." Vlad assured, letting his hand drop. "I'm **much** more concerned about _you_ , Daniel. You still have," He paused there, eyes flickering as he fought to think through his panic and fear. "Approximately 5 minutes before your powers return. And I…." He stopped, biting his tongue as his eyes scanned the beam protruding through the youth's stomach, the blood pooling beneath him and the way one leg seemed to be completely twisted around. "I don't…,"

"… Think I can make it." Danny supplied after it became clear Vlad either _couldn't_ or _wouldn't_ finish his sentence. The elder glanced away guiltily.

"… You've survived worse." He practically whispered, seemingly more to himself than to Danny.

"Yeah - _with my **powers**_." Danny craned his head as best he could, just barely being able to see the stained tip of the beam from his angle. He inhaled sharply, feeling his whole body **scream** in torment at the movement it caused. "And it… th-those other t-times weren't like… like _this._ "

"You will be **fine**." Vlad stated firmly, lips pulled down into a frown and eyes suspiciously shiny, even in the dim light. "I _refuse_ to see so much potential simply…," He stumbled briefly for the correct word. " _ **Disappear**_ , before my eyes."

"V-Vlad…," Danny gave a small smile, a bit of blood trailing from the corner of his lips. " **W-where** has this c-caring side of you been for 4 years?"

"Brutally subdued and hidden by my bitterness and hate, as always, dear boy."


End file.
